Comments

bobbie

Everytime construction starts to pick up, the "industry" puts out the cry to lower or eliminate impact fees. I ask why have them at all, if the only time you will leave them in effect is when we are building nothing and ergo, collecting nothing. As to property tax, they are collected in arrears,,,to the tune of 12 to 18 mos. so free ride for that time w/o impact fees. Also,the street where the new house is may already exist, but after many new houses are built, new streets are needed, ergo, money to build them is needed, which comes from the road impact fees...additions to the water plant are needed, more parks are needed...etc...etc...etc...Get it? And BTW some homes are not of high enough value to support all the services they use by their ad valorem taxes and others subsidize them.

onlythetruth

Switch, what are you footing? The home stands on the street that was there before it was built, the owner pays for sewer hook-up if needed, etc, etc ,etc. So, tell me what "expenses" go unpaid if the impact tax goes away. There is absolutely no justification for this "fee" tax, and any home that is built pays for itself in the manner I explained earlier. Not to mention the local vendors who "work" on the project and "spend" their money locally. Back up your rants with with a coherent argument and people will listen. Eliminating this "fee/tax" hurts/bothers no one, except tax and spend liberals.

lightswitch

The Lee County Commissioners did not misspeak when they said if the impact fees are not collected for buildings home or business it will cost the County $10 million dollars. So who is going to make that up if the developer does not pay the home or building buyer does not pay? The folks who already pay taxes will have to pay for 2 budget years that are short the money. I guess you feel the new building pays an inflated tax dollar amount in year #1 and #2? We get to foot there 2 year float and help create a larger tax bill for the all. I love the voodoo magic budgeting rhetoric you trying to sell. Go find some unsuspecting customer to buy your building or house you want to build.

onlythetruth

Ok, one more time. When a new home is built it does pay for its own growth, in the form of property taxes that were previously not collected because a home was not standing on said lot in question. Impact fees are nothing more than an additional/punitive tax levied upon the builder, who in turn passes it onto the puchaser. Understand?, the empty lot produced virtually no property tax revenue due to its low value, the lot with a home upon it produces the property tax revenue everyone else pays, so it is paying for its own growth.

lightswitch

I agree with netransplant. Also, onlythetruth it is a fee (Impact Fee) and as stated by netransplant will become a tax on those already here if it is not collected. The county needs to reduce another $30 million out of its budget which it has not done since last year when they needed to reduce $50 million and ended up short $36 million and now it is $30 million. Of course they spent the $36 million on land from 2020 fund. They also need to stat paying back to Cape Coral the $577 million they have charged since the fund was started. They have given Cape Coral zero dollars from this fund. Most of the $577 million coming from Cape Coral was derived from its residential property taxpayers. If this impact fee business was not such a boondoggle the more local governing body the City of Cape Coral would not be considering doing the same. Rent and sell what is built before continuing to expand the supply side of the real estate sector.

netransplant

This is not a tax on the residents but a growth fee upon the people causing the growth. If these fees aren't collected now then is does become a tax on everybody else when the schools and roads are needed. What I don't agree with is why we need to spark development? Why not let it grow at a natural rate and not try to overstimulate us into another bubble.